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The old man and the sea the character of the Santiago
The old man and the sea the character of the Santiago
The old man and the sea the character of the Santiago
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“A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world”. Santiago is an old fisherman who has been criticized, made fun of, and is reviewed as an unlucky man. Going 84 days without a single catch. But has a very special companion named Manolin. Santiago prepares for a three day Trip where he knows he will catch an excellent fish. During his trip Santiago faces many trials, But in spite of all troubles he manages to put the pain aside and go on through of what lies ahead. He has a special bond with Manolin and would do anything for eachother. They are are friends who care about each other, Often thinking about helping one another through time of need. Santiago knows because of his old age, he still has that ambition to fight for what …show more content…
Overall, Santiago was a unique individual who was a Hemingway “Code Hero” who exemplified the much admired quality of endurance. In Santiago, the central character of the OLD Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway created a “ Code Hero” who personified Friendship. In Hemingway 's the OLD Man and the Sea Santiago was an example of friendship when he alone sits alone letting the marlin drag the boat forward. Santiago was sitting with his back against the wire in the front of the boat. He then placed the sack covering the bait box and placed it behind his back, He felt a little more comfortable but not as much as he could have been. He thought about how the baseball game turned out. He thinks how good it would be if he had a radio. Out loud he said, “I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this”. Santiago thinks of the only friend he has. Santiago wishes he had the boy to help him and see the fish he had caught. He has been with Manolin since Manolin was a child. Manolin also used to fish with him and help him with the tasks that needed to be done. For many years they bonded together to the point where they treat each other like family. Doing things for each other without hesitation. Also taking care of each other. Santiago was a “Code Hero” because of his bond and caringness with Manolin. Even in a grown man 's predicament he still wishes to have his friend by his side. The main character Santiago of the old man and the sea, Ernest Hemingway
Santiago is an old fisherman who lives in a small coast town in Cuba. At the time that Hemingway wrote the story, he was also an elderly gentlemen and was such an avid fisherman throughout his life, that books such as "Ernest Hemingway, The Angler As Artist” were written on the sole subject of how this obsession influenced Hemingway's writing. Furthermore, he fished off the coast of Cuba so much that he decided to "buy the 'Finca Vigia' in Cuba, a substantial estate located about fifteen miles from downtown Havana . . .” For entertainment Santiago would "read the baseball." Meanwhile Hemingway often "relied on baseball analogies” in his writing, suggesting that he also loved the game. These similarities between Santiago's lifestyle and Hemingway's cannot be ignored or passed off as coincidence because they are much too precise. Already, from these prominent identical traits it is evident that Hemingway modeled the character of Santiago after his own person.
Santiago, the main character in the story, does not divulge in any pleasures what so ever. It almost seems as though he is trying to make himself suffer. Everyday, Santiago hardly eats anything but a little fish or coffee. He does not have any relationships with women in the story, as many Hemingway novels have included. While Santiago is out on the boat, he does not let himself stray from the task at hand even though it is very uncomfortable. The Hemingway code hero would be the exact opposite of Santiago. He would eat large meals every day, make love to many women, and never put himself in a position that he did not like. The code hero would do everything as though it was the last time he was doing it because he did not believe strongly in the presence of God.
In the short story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, Wilson’s actions show that he has characteristics of a Hemingway Code Hero. Wilson proves that he is a lot better at hunting, compared to Francis Macomber, when they were going to kill a lion. He does not show that he is very emotional after Francis dies. He does not brag how good he is at hunting, compared to Francis. Wilson is a Hemingway Code Hero, based on the fact that he is skillful, can control his emotions, and is a man of action, not a talker.
In The Old Man and the Sea, as well as The Great Gatsby, code hero is a prominent topic that represents the main characters and their journeys. Both Gatsby and Santiago demonstrate the traits of optimism, determination, and friendship. Throughout the novels the main characters were always facing a new struggle or conflict, that would test their endurance. Having the ability and tenacity to keep trying is what makes these two such heroes.
Poignant circumstances surrounded the composition of this novel, which bring out many of the above points. It is widely recognized that Hemingway was possessed of a turbulent personality and suffered from emotional depression. This was despite the fact that he enjoyed much critical acclaim. The Old Man and the Sea was written after a ten-year hiatus of public and critical approval. This period saw much of his work receive negative criticism in literary and journalistic circles. This affected Hemingway adversely and very deeply (Carey 9). Therefore, Hemingway's personal battle with seeming failure in his life's work and society's attendant criticism parallel Santiago's stoic resolve in the face of his neighbors' disdain. The author's struggles symbolically match those of Santiago and set the stage for the writing of this novel.
In the story Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the “great fish” that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his “luckiness” and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself.
Throughout a life, people have to overcome obstacle after obstacle to be successful in the world. Humans are thrown challenges day after day, week after week. Everyone must try hard at something to be truly happy in their life. In Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Old Man and the Sea, he used the marlin and the sharks as symbols, and gave Santiago certain character attributes to depict the perserverance, courage, and smarts needed to get through the ups and downs that life hands everyone.
Frequently throughout Hemingway's use of heroes there are two behaviors or types of heroes that he uses, these are the "Hemingway Hero" and the "Code Hero". The Hemingway hero is usually a masculine man who drinks, loves hunts and bullfights, and has war injuries.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, pits his strength against forces he cannot control. We learn from Santiago's struggles how to face insurmountable odds with bravery and courage. Though we find an indifferent and hostile universe as Santiago's stage, his unwillingness to give in to these forces demonstrate a reverence for life's struggles. Santiago's struggle is for dignity and meaning in the face of insurmountable odds. His warrior-like spirit fights off the sharks full-well knowing the fate of his marlin. Santiago loses his marlin in the end, but his struggle to keep it represent a victory because of the dignity and heroism with which he carries out his mission. However, as Santiago acknowledges, he is almost sorry he caught the marlin because he knows the animal and he have a great deal in common as fellow beings in nature. However, he only caught the marlin "through trickery" (Hemingway 99). Santi...
A Hemingway Code Hero is a character from an Ernest Hemingway novel that follows a particular pattern of how he or she conducts life on a day to day basis. Catherine Barkley from A Farewell to Arms lives with a respect for honor and courage as a Code Hero should. Catherine Barkley is the original code hero of the novel. She has all of the traits of a Hero, and implements them onto Frederic as he matures throughout the story. Catherine’s three main traits that define her as a Hemingway Code Hero are her values of human relationships over materialism, her idealism, and her grace under pressure; she is fearful but not afraid to die.
The great stories behind The Old Man and the Sea are what make it so wonderful. Because of this novels success released in 1952, it helped Hemingway ring in the Nobel Prize for 1954 for Hemingway (Hurse). He had a way of writing a good hearted, high spirited hero, who seemed in many ways to be at one with nature and himself. It is believed that Hemingway conjured up the character Santiago from a 92 year old man who crossed to Florida with other Cuban refugees (Baker 910). This makes sense considering Santiago is the main character, who is of old age. His characters although having many great qualities, still had struggles. Santiago is the man of hour, when speaking of The Old Man and the Sea. H...
Hemingway depicts Santiago as a tired old man with no luck of providing for himself. The allusions made to Christ do not prove the old man to be strong or wildly heroic, but to be noble and true. The boy says to Santiago, "There
A Hemingway Code Hero is a trait that almost every main character of Ernest Hemingway’s novels possesses. According to Hemingway, a Code Hero is a man (or woman) who lives correctly and demonstrates respect for honor and courage during a chaotic and stressful world. There is a particular pattern to how a Code Hero conducts his or her life on a day to day basis. In the novel A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry is the Code Hero because fate is a determining role in his life’s events, he lives in the here and now, and he shows grace under pressure.
Ernest Hemingway is arguably one of the most important writers in American history. Though this is disputed, Hemingway has undoubtedly had a major influence on contemporary American literature. One aspect of Hemingway's famous writing that shines in almost all of his works is the hero. Hemingway created the famous Hemingway code by which all of his heroes, often called code heroes, lived. One critic asserted that, 'Hemingway invented more than a style he invented the Hemingway hero.' (Papa) Hemingway attempted to live by this code but did not enjoy the success of his fictional characters. In fact, critic Joseph DeFalco states, 'The type of hero that can accomplish such a feat [living up to the Hemingway code] is rare in any area of life.' (195) The code hero was not rare, however, in Hemingway writing. Robert Jordan in For Whom The Bell Tolls and Frederic Henry in A Farewell To Arms are perfect examples of the Hemingway code hero.
Hemingway develops Santiago as a hero in order to reveal that everyone goes through their own sacrifices to prove a point. According to the Hemingway Character Code, Santiago is a hero. Santiago is an poor, old man who is made fun of for his lack of fish caught by his fellow fishermen, thus showing that he is destroyed but not defeated. According to the Hemingway Character Code, Santiago is a hero.